Angel Exalted

by C. L. Coffey

  Mama Laveau’s eyes narrowed. “I have had nothing to do with your boyfriend since you attacked me the last time you were here.”

  That wasn’t strictly true. She had attacked first. But I wasn’t in a hurry to point that out to receive a repeat performance. “I spoke to him this morning, so he’s okay, I think… or at least, I think he’s safe. I’m not sure if there’s actually something wrong.”

  “I am really not the person to come to for relationship advice,” Mama Laveau told me, dryly. “You’re better off just talking to him.”

  I stopped pacing and frowned. “I admit, the idea of me being a paranoid girlfriend has crossed my mind but given everything that has happened since I met him, I would cover all my bases and make sure there’s nothing angelic affecting us. Especially since this is also affecting his dreams and his subconscious.”

  Mama Laveau slowly shook her head. “I have never come across this before, but I was never gifted with the ability to Dream Walk.”

  I raked my hand through my hair as I sucked in a deep breath. “Maybe this has something to do with the covenant. Maybe he’s just upset with me for signing that.”

  “You signed the covenant?” Mama Laveau asked, tilting her head.

  “Yes.”

  “Huh.”

  “Huh?” I repeated. “What does that mean?”

  “That I never expected that to happen. But then again, I never expected Zachary to run a House, and I never expected a human to become an angel and start dating a human.”

  “Are you saying I shouldn’t have done it?” I asked her.

  Mama Laveau shook her head. “I’m saying you should trust your instinct.”

  “My instinct tells me I made the right choice,” I responded. “My instinct also tells me that I wasn’t given much choice in the matter, seeing as the other option would have left Joshua without a guardian angel. The thing I can’t work out is if I made that choice or if it was made for me.” I perched on the edge of the sofa, finally giving up on my decision to stand. “I also can’t work out if Zachary is good or evil, because he still has his wings, but honestly, I feel he’s just as manipulative as Beelzebub.”

  Mama Laveau reached down beside her armchair, causing me to tense up. I relaxed the moment she produced a blanket and draped it over herself. “Angels aren’t good or evil. We’re more human than you think. Why do you think some of us fell? Why do you think some of us left? Every action is made by a choice. Some of us have just forgotten we can still make that choice.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “People – angels and humans alike – think that, when it comes to Heaven and all that reside in it, we live in a world where everything is black and white. But the world isn’t black and white. Yes, our purpose is to protect mankind, as our Father wished, but if everything was that clear cut, we wouldn’t have had different roles within Heaven. I no longer reside in Heaven and I no longer preform my role in the same way I used to, but that does not mean that I have fallen, nor does it mean that I have stopped doing my part to protect mankind.”

  I frowned. “And Zachary?”

  Mama Laveau smacked her lips together and smirked. “You don’t have to leave Heaven to leave Heaven.”

  I was back on my feet, pacing again. My instinct was certainly telling me not to trust Zachary. “But what about Joshua?” I asked. “He’s not an angel, and he’s dreaming about your house.”

  “I have no experience of this, as I told you previously. Trust your instinct: if you think something is wrong, it probably is. Whether it is supernatural or just hormones, you will only find that out by talking to the detective.” She relaxed back into her chair and smoothed her blanket out. “If you wish me to play marriage counsellor, bring him here. I promise I’ll look after him.”

  I pursed my lips. “You can see the Fallen and the nephilim, can’t you?” I asked her, changing the subject.

  Mama Laveau’s lips narrowed. “What of it?” she asked as her hands balled up into fists, grasping at the crocheted blanket.

  I hurriedly held my hands up, palms open. “I’m not… Can the nephilim be trusted?”

  “I think that everyone – angel, human, and nephilim – have the ability to make their own choices. I also think good and evil differ depending on which side of the story you sit.”

  I couldn’t help but be skeptical at that statement: no matter which side of the fence I sat on, how on earth could anyone justify Lucifer’s actions? He might have been good once upon a time, but the guy fell and ended up in Hell for a reason.

  “And what about Heaven and Hell?”

  “To paraphrase an old British rock group: the more you understand, the quicker you will realize what is real and what is a dream.”

  “And what if you actually quote them?” I asked, rolling my eyes.

  “I’d probably be breaking some copyright laws and being as old as eternity doesn’t mean I have enough savings to pay that settlement.”

  Crazy. She was absolutely crazy… I decided it was time to leave before she started talking in any more code and made me even more confused. I thanked her for her time and left. I was confident that she hadn’t seen Joshua and had nothing to do with his dreams. I also agreed that the best thing I could do would be to talk to Joshua myself. If he was upset with me, I needed to find out why, and the only way was to ask him directly.

  The traffic had picked up when I left Mama Laveau’s house in the Lower Ninth, and it took me a little longer to cross the city to meet Joshua. By the time I had found a space to park and made it to the café, I was late. When I went in, I discovered I wasn’t the only one. I took a seat by the window, keeping an eye out for him as I watched the morning foot traffic. It was quieter than the vehicular traffic.

  I had ordered myself a cup of coffee and was eyeing up the menu when Joshua finally arrived. I looked up and had to fight to keep my mouth from dropping open. Joshua’s hair, although kept neat, was long enough in the front for his bangs to dangle into his eyes. Today, it was slicked back with so much gel, it looked like I could tap on it and have it echo back. Joshua had one of those faces that he could pull it off, and it wasn’t that it detracted from his attractiveness, but it really didn’t suit his personality.

  “Morning,” I greeted him.

  Joshua paused in pulling out the chair he had his hands on and leaned over. His hand snaked through my hair and the next thing I knew, he was kissing me. It was certainly not a peck on the lips greeting. In all honesty, I wasn’t even sure he had realized we were in a public place. If this was in a bedroom, I was certain the next move would be… “Joshua!” I half cried, half gasped, pulling away.

  “You seemed worried this morning. I just wanted to put your mind at ease,” he told me as he pulled out his chair and sat down.

  “I wasn’t sure if this was because of the covenant,” I told him. “I thought you might have been upset with me because I had taken that.”

  “I was a little shocked,” Joshua admitted. He leaned forward, resting his head in one hand while the other hand sought out mine. “But I have realized that you really do care for me and you will do anything to protect me.”

  “You mean you doubted that?” I blinked, feeling somewhat taken aback by that statement. I thought I had made it perfectly clear to him just how I felt.

  He shrugged. “I’m just human. You are an angel with all the power and strength. You are immortal and will live for an eternity which will make this body’s lifespan feel like a couple of insignificant seconds in your history.”

  “I don’t know what has happened for you to start feeling that way, Joshua, but I promise you, you are more important to me than you realize. Nothing about us or ‘your body’ will ever feel insignificant to me.” I pulled a face. Insignificant? “Joshua, I love you,” I told him, firmly.

  He studied me for a few moments, before finally nodded. “Yes, I think you do.”

  I frowned, lacing my fingers through his. “Don’t think it: know it
.”

  “Y’all ready to order?” I blinked, looking up at the waitress who looked awkward at interrupting us. “Sorry,” she tacked on, uncomfortably.

  “The Trifecta,” Joshua suddenly responded, letting go of my hand. “You know what you want?” he asked me.

  “Um,” I glanced down at the menu. “The Bacon and Praline Pancakes, please.” The waitress scribbled down our order, took the menus from us, and disappeared.

  “What happened with Ty?” Joshua asked me. I stared at him, surprised at the switch in topic. “I heard he got away.”

  “You did?” I asked, surprised.

  Joshua shrugged. “Missing persons,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Have you heard from him?”

  “I went back to see him, and he was attacked by two of the Fallen while I was there,” I explained after making sure there was no one in earshot. “We got away because Lilly jumped in and helped us.”

  “Mmmm,” Joshua mumbled. He reached over for my coffee and took as sip. That caused me to raise an eyebrow. Not that he was drinking my coffee – he could help himself. I was cool with that. But the coffee was tepid at best. “What happened to him?”

  “I got him to the only place I thought he would be safe,” I told him.

  “And where is that?” Joshua pushed.

  I frowned. “Why?”

  A scowl appeared on Joshua’s face, but it quickly disappeared. “Because I’m a police officer. If anyone can offer him protection, it’s me.”

  “Depends what you’re protecting him from. Humans, definitely. The Fallen?” I shook my head. “Not a chance. Ty is safe. He’s in the convent with me.”

  “You’re hiding the son of the angel who wiped out your cherubim in your House?” Joshua asked, his eyes going wide. And then he burst into laughter. “Angel, you are either a genius or an idiot.”

  “Oh?” I muttered, hurt at that statement. Joshua’s laugh was loud and bellowing. It certainly earned a look of amusement from the waitress when she dropped our orders, along with fresh coffee, off at our table. Even then, I had to wait for Joshua to calm down. “I figured it was the last place anyone would think to look,” I explained, feeling the need to justify my actions. “And it’s one place the Fallen can’t enter.”

  Joshua sobered up. “That’s true.” His expression turned pensive as he took a few mouthfuls of the breakfast in front of him. I grabbed a piece of bacon and sat nibbling at it. “You should let Ty come stay with me. That’s a bit safer than a convent where all the angels will be out to kill him.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” I disagreed. “I told you, I’m not putting you in unnecessary danger.”

  Joshua scowled at his plate, focusing on eating. I decided to do the same. I didn’t want to upset him, and I’m sure he was upset that I was hinting he wasn’t capable of taking care of himself. He was, I wasn’t denying that – provided nothing angelic was involved. I could barely hold my own against the Fallen, and I was an angel. He would just have to suck it up.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  On the Offensive

  It was after lunch when I was trying to gather together some leftovers for Ty that the bells of Zachary started up again. I growled – not a sigh, but an actual growl, like I had turned into a wolf or something – and gripped at the edge of the worktop. I hadn’t liked the bells when Michael had used them, and I hadn’t missed them when Cupid had chosen to communicate with our House without using them.

  Lunch had been one of my favorites: shrimp po’boy. I finished wrapping the sub up in baking paper and put the remaining items away to the soundtrack of the bells before heading up the two flights of stairs to Zachary’s office, still holding onto the sandwich.

  I entered the office and discovered Zachary wasn’t alone. Once again, the office was filled with a number of higher-ranking angels: Grace and Metatron, Zachary and Savannah, Michael, and Gabriel. There had been a slight change to the layout of the office, however. The large open space at the opposite end of Zachary’s desk now had a large circular table, behind which the angels were seated. The table, I realized, was the beautiful carved wood one from the dining room. It only had six matching chairs, all of which had been taken. The only free seat was what I could only describe as a foot stool.

  Ignoring what I was sure was a dig from Zachary, I walked over to the table. “You summoned me?” I asked, addressing my leader in a tone which I hoped hid the discontent I felt towards him.

  “Why don’t you take a seat, Angel?” Zachary suggested, gesturing to the stool with a sugary smile and too much sweetness for me to accept he was doing nothing more than putting on a show.

  I decided, at that exact moment, I didn’t like him. And the feeling was mutual.

  However, seeing as he was still my leader, I was going to continue acting as respectful to him as I could. I nodded, sitting down as he suggested.

  I wasn’t sure how long the respect was going to last when the stool had the table in line with my breasts rather than my waist like everyone else. Two could play that game. I readjusted myself so I was kneeling on the stool and at a more equal height to everyone else present. A brief look of annoyance flashed over Zachary’s face. “What occasion brings everyone here this afternoon?” I asked, brightly, like nothing was wrong.

  “Our next steps,” Zachary replied. “However, I wish to know why you were in the Ninth Ward this morning.”

  I froze. The Ninth Ward was where Mama Laveau lived. I’d also taken a vow that I would not tell anyone who she was or where she was living. “It was related to Joshua,” I said, mentally crossing my fingers that it would be the end of it. Of course, I wasn’t that lucky.

  “Then why were you in Mid-City?” Zachary pressed on.

  “Joshua and I had breakfast,” I told him. “I had the Bacon Praline Pancakes and he had three different types of eggs benedict.” I frowned. “How do you know where I was this morning?”

  “Leaders of the House know where all their angels are… at all times.”

  This wasn’t a new fact. I was aware of that, having had Cupid try to track down some of the angels on a few occasions in the past. This was the first time I was aware that we were being actively tracked. “And you need to know where we all are at all times now?”

  “No, I only want to know about you,” Zachary replied. He gave me a smile. “Given what has happened in this city recently, and given how yourself and Eugene were taken and held captive, I thought it would be prudent to make sure I know where the angels of my House are at all times.”

  I slowly ran my tongue over my lower lip. I really didn’t like this guy. It also meant I would have to be very careful going forward. “I understand,” I said, with a bob of my head. I tucked my hair behind my ear and looked to Grace. “I would like to think something as trivial as my whereabouts this morning is something that only really need be discussed between myself and Zachary,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “Was there something else that brought you here?”

  Grace nodded. “We have been discussing the roles of the angels on earth.”

  My eyes widened with hope. “Does this mean we can finally start teaching the angels how to fight?”

  “Not at all,” Grace said, looking appalled. I might as well have asked her if we could have started kicking puppies. “Angels – those with a rank of angel – are not fighters, nor shall they be. They shall remain as messengers. Nothing will change there.”

  “We are looking at what the objectives of us higher ranking angels will be,” Michael added. My attention switched to him. He was seated almost opposite me. It was still hard seeing him because even though he was Michael, he didn’t look like him. He didn’t sound like him either, as his voice was slightly lower pitched than the deep grumble it used to be.

  His mannerisms had changed too. Once he would have had a poker face, watching me with his chocolate brown eyes. Now they were more caramel and more expressive. He wasn’t even sitting as still he used to. I wasn’t sure what this
vessel had been in a previous life, but I was willing to bet, with the way he would frequently drum out a tune with his fingers, that it was a musician.

  “Where do I fit in with that?” I asked. I was still an angel working towards being an archangel. So far, none of the other ranks appealed to me, other than I would be able to say I was the Seraph Angel. Actually, scratch that. I was called Angel. It was going to sound ridiculous whichever rank I ended up… I wasn’t even sure I had any option other than being an Archangel anyway.

  “You still have your charge,” Michael said. His voice was calm and even, but I could see in his eyes he was still struggling with that. I gave him a sad smile: I had never wanted to hurt him.

  “You are to continue earning your status as an archangel, but we will be watching how long it takes,” Savannah chimed in.

  “Well if someone would like to give me some pointers, I would happily try to speed up that process,” I responded with a forced smile.

  Grace shook her head, the sleek bobbed haircut swaying from side to side. “Unfortunately, that is something which you must discover for yourself.”

  “But if it does take too much longer, we will have to reconsider whether you really are worthy of becoming an archangel,” Savanah was quick to add. The words sent a chill down me. I hadn’t even considered that as a possible outcome.

  “We have faith in you,” Gabriel said, confidently. He was sat next to me and leaned over to shoulder bump me. “You’re going to get it.”

  I returned his smile, hoping it looked a heck of a lot more confident than I was feeling. I really hadn’t even considered that there would be a timescale to achieving this. Pushing the thought down, I turned back to Michael. “What objectives did you discuss?”

  “It is time we really addressed the problem of the Fallen,” Michael replied. He was watching me closely again.

  “Okay,” I said slowly, drawing out the word. “And how are we going to address that?”